What Happens on the Cruise

86. Unchained Melody

"Hey," Tim gently spoke to Austin, "we probably ought to be getting up."

Austin moaned and stretched, then as he did every day, he sat up and looked at his legs. It sent pangs through Tim's heart every time he did it. Austin gave Tim a weak smile. "Still gone."

Tim cupped his cheek. "Still alive. And married to me."

Austin's smile brightened. "So I am." He gave Tim a kiss, pulled back and came in for another, deeper one.

Tim hummed in appreciation as the kiss continued, growing more passionate.

"Do we have time for a little somethin' somethin'?" Austin whispered.

"What'd you have in mind?"

"Dunno. I'm still pretty weak..."

"Can I suck you?" Tim asked.

"Only if I can suck you back."

"Is that on your diet?"

Austin laughed. "I didn't ask, but it's not in any of the no-go categories, so I'm willing to risk it."

Tim grinned. "I think we have time."

***

As they got in the car and headed out, Austin pulled out his phone and saw they'd missed a text exchange.

Chris R:
Hey, everybody, check this out:
GoFundMe.com/~homefreemedicalexpenses

Adam R:
Wow
Incredible

Rob:
Our fans are the best

Austin clicked on the link and stared at the page. He began to read to Tim, choking up with emotion as he did so.

Hello, Home Fries, and family and friends of the men of Home Free. As most of you know, on July 19, three members of the group Home Free -- tenor Austin Brown (now Foust), bass Tim Foust, and beatboxer Adam Rupp -- along with Adam's wife Ericha were involved in a terrible accident.

After seeing footage from Tim & Austin's wedding, it occurred to us that they must be facing significant medical bills, even with insurance. So we got in touch with their management, Luke Pierce of WORKS Entertainment to see if we could start some sort of fund for them. Obviously, Luke isn't able to share private medical information with us, but it's readily apparent that at least Austin and Ericha sustained significant injuries.

The guys haven't asked for this, but we wanted to help defray the costs of their medical bills, so we started this GoFundMe campaign. All contributions will go to WORKS Entertainment to be distributed as necessary.

Austin, Tim, Adam, and Ericha, we love you and wish you all speedy recoveries.

There were links to a newspaper article about the wreck and the Livestream of the wedding.

Following were comments from contributors. As Austin read, his eyes filled with tears from the outpouring of love and support from their fans.

Tim pulled the car over.

"Everything okay?" Austin asked.

"Yeah. Just didn't want to try to cry and drive."

***

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Tim asked.

Austin shook his head. "I don't want to slow you two down on your walk."